Pixar Uses the Franchise's Characters in Move to TV

Pixar Animation Studios is extending its reach from theaters to television with the TV film "Toy Story of Terror!" showing on ABC on Oct. 16.

ENLARGE

Jessie from "Toy Story of Terror!"
Disney-Pixar

The Halloween-themed special takes characters from the studio's "Toy Story" franchise—including Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Ken (Michael Keaton) and Jessie (Joan Cusack)—and places them in a new story.

First-time TV director Angus MacLane said he was inspired by Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi thriller "Alien." In the 22½-minute animated film, the "Toy Story" characters spend the night at a dumpy motel and are eliminated one by one.

"If the title is too scary for you or makes your kids jump, the movie is too scary for you," Mr. MacLane said.

The director first pitched the idea for the TV special to John Lasseter, Pixar's chief creative officer, in early 2011. Mr. MacLane asked Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote all three "Toy Story" films, to help develop the 40-page script."

Mr. Stanton says that as a "Toy Story aficionado," he helped mold the story into four acts, rather than Pixar's usual three, to take into account TV commercial breaks.

"Nobody at Pixar knows anything about television," said Galyn Susman, the film's producer, "so the storytelling perspective had to be completely different."

Mr. Stanton also tried to make sure the "Toy Story" voice remained authentic, whittling down which toys to include and which to leave behind. The erudite Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton) became a narrative device, while Hamm (John Ratzenberger) hit the cutting-room floor. After all, "who takes a piggy bank on a vacation?" remarked Mr. MacLane.

Translating the feature-film stars into small-screen heroes took 150 people 2½ years, roughly half the time and staff it takes Pixar to make a full-length movie.

"Toy Story of Terror!" is meant to take place six months after "Toy Story 3," the 2010 film that grossed more than $1 billion world-wide.

"We've got to constantly keep these characters alive and in the younger kids' minds," said Jim Morris, Pixar's general manager and a member of the "brain trust," a collective of executives and filmmakers who green light and shape each of the studio's projects. Mr. Morris has been discussing an evergreen television special with Mr. Lasseter since he arrived at the company in 2005.

"Toy Story of Terror!" is being treated as a film event in its own right. ABC, Pixar's sister channel, is marketing it as an "absolute destination event," according to Darren Schillace, the senior vice president of marketing for the TV network, which like Pixar, is owned by Walt Disney Co.

The film is scheduled to be broadcast an additional 10 times on Disney's affiliate channels, including ABC Family and Disney XD, before the end of October.

Because the "Toy Story" franchise has a strong built-in audience, with 32.6 million likes on its Facebook page, Mr. Schillace said he's targeting the larger Disney universe fan.

Promotional efforts for "Toy Story of Terror!" began a year ago, which is typical for a cinematic release but unusual for TV. A marketing campaign typically begins six to eight weeks before the premiere.

Mr. Schillace previewed the film on a Disney Vacation Club cruise in August and screened the first 10 minutes at D23 Expo, Disney's annual fan event in Anaheim, Calif. He is showing 30 seconds of footage from the movie during the previews on 2,000 cinema screens.

If "Toy Story of Terror!" is successful, Mr. Morris said the TV formula could become a more regular piece of the studio's creative output.

"We're just going to keep doing it, figuring out ways to stay relevant and part of the culture, until somebody spanks us," Mr. Morris said.

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